Dyeing tube structure of conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine

ABSTRACT

A conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine includes a dyeing tube for improving fabric dyeing effect. The dyeing tube is arranged rearward of or below a nozzle and has an entrance opening and an exit opening and an intermediate section located between and set lower than the entrance opening and the exit opening so as to form height differences at front and rear end parts of the dyeing tube that allows dye liquid to fill up and remain in the dyeing tube. During a course of fabric moving through the dyeing tube, the fabric is allowed to stay and soak in the dye liquid within the dyeing tube to provide an extended period of time of interaction between the fabric and the dye liquid for penetration so as to enhance the result of dyeing.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an improved dyeing tube structure of a conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine, and more particularly to a structure that allows dye liquid to effectively fill and retain in the dyeing tube and causes fabric to stay in the dyeing tube for an extended period of time and thus extends exchange and penetration time between the fabric and the dye liquid to thereby enhance uniformity of dyeing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A conventional conveyor driven dyeing machine is structured such that a dyeing tube is set above or under a machine body in a horizontal or slightly inclined manner and a nozzle jets out the dye liquid to flow through the dyeing tube. Fabric is moved within the machine body and passes through the dyeing tube to be soaked in the dye liquid for achieving circulation dyeing. However, since the dyeing tube is arranged horizontally or in a manner of being slightly inclined, the dye liquid, once entering the dyeing tube through a liquid entrance opening, flows quickly through the dyeing tube and then leaves from a dye liquid exit opening. In addition, generally, the dyeing tube is not completely filled up with the dye liquid so that the fabric and the dye liquid are allowed to exchange and penetrate with each other in a short period of time. As such, dyeing uniformity of the fabric is generally poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a modified dyeing tube structure of a dyeing machine to allow dye liquid to completely fill the dyeing tube and stay in the dyeing tube for an extended period of time so that fabric that passes through the dyeing tube is allowed to stay therein for an extended period of time for exchange and penetration of dye liquid and thus achieving an effect of more uniformly dyeing.

To overcome such a problem, the present invention provides a conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine that comprises a dyeing tube arranged rearward of or below a nozzle. The dyeing tube comprises a fabric and liquid entrance opening and a fabric and liquid exit opening, and the fabric and liquid entrance opening is set at a location higher than the fabric and liquid exit opening. The dyeing tube has an intermediate section that is set lower than the fabric the liquid entrance opening and the fabric the liquid exit opening, so that dye liquid may flow through the fabric and liquid entrance opening into the dyeing tube and get retained in the dyeing tube due to a height difference between the intermediate section of the dyeing tube and each of the fabric and liquid entrance opening and the fabric and liquid exit opening. This allows fabric, which moves through the dyeing tube, to stay and soak in the dye liquid for an extended period of time for penetration of the liquid into the fabric thereby enhance the result of dyeing of the fabric. The dyeing tube of the present invention may be shaped in any desired configuration provided the height differences are present at the front and rear ends thereof.

The technical solution provided in this invention is made to improve a structure of a dyeing tube of a dyeing machine such that the dyeing tube comprises a fabric and liquid entrance opening and a fabric and liquid exit opening and the fabric and liquid entrance opening has a height that is higher than or corresponds to a height of the fabric and liquid exit opening, while an intermediate section of the dyeing tube is set lower than the fabric and liquid entrance opening and the fabric and liquid exit opening to allow the dye liquid to fill up the dyeing tube and remain in the dyeing tube, whereby fabric, during a course thereof moving through the dyeing tube, can stay and soak in the dye liquid inside the dyeing tube for liquid penetration into the fabric to enhance the dyeing result of the fabric. The dyeing tube may be shaped in any desired configuration provided the height differences are present at the front and rear ends thereof.

The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In a first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides an improved structure of a dyeing tube of a conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine. A general structure of the dyeing machine comprises a machine body 1 in which a conveyor 2 is arranged for conveying fabric 3 from a rear part of the machine body 1 to a front part thereof, where the fabric 3 is driven by means of a fabric guide roller 4 and an idle roller 41 to get into a nozzle 5 and the dyeing tube 12. Dye liquid L is pressurized by a pump 7 and subjected to temperature control by a heat exchanger 8 to be jetted by the nozzle 5 to drive the fabric 3 to enter the dyeing tube 12 to achieve an effect of dyeing, through interaction with, the fabric 3 that is then allowed to fall down, at the rear part of the machine body, back onto the conveyor 2 to be re-conveyed to the front part of the machine body, while the dye liquid L also falls down back to a bottom of the machine body to enter and accumulate in a liquid accumulation tank 6 and get filtered by a filter 61 for removal of impurity and subsequent pressurization by the pump 7 and temperature control by the heat exchanger 8 to be re jetted by the nozzle 5 so as to achieve a cyclic circulating motion to thereby realize the process of dyeing. A control box 9 that comprises a computer or a programmable logic controller (PLC) is operable to control or correct moving speeds of the conveyor 2 and the fabric guide roller 4 in order to achieve operation synchronization between the fabric 3 and the conveyor 2/the fabric guide roller 4 through accurately controlling the speeds thereof.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the dyeing tube 12 is structured to have a fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 (or an entrance section) that is arranged vertically in the dyeing machine and the nozzle 5 is set to jet the dye liquid into the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 in a direction from top to bottom. The fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 of the dyeing tube 12 is set at a height that is higher than a height of a fabric and liquid exit opening 122 (or an exit section) and an intermediate section of the dyeing tube 12, which is between the entrance opening and the exit opening, is set lower than the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 and the fabric and liquid exit opening 122, so that a first height difference d1 is present between the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 and the dyeing tube 12 (or more precisely, the intermediate section of the dyeing tube). The height of the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 is set higher than a height of an interior top of the dyeing tube 12 so that a second height difference d2 is present between the height of the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 and the interior top of the dyeing tube 12. As such, based on the communicating vessel principle, an interior space of the dyeing tube 12 can be filled up with and hold the dye liquid therein so that during the course of moving through the dyeing tube 12, the fabric 3 may stay and soak in the dye liquid inside the dyeing tube 12 for an extended period of time to allow for an extended period of time of interaction between the fabric 3 and the dye liquid for better penetration that provides the fabric 3 with bettered and uniform result of dyeing. The dyeing tube 12 can be structured in any desired shape provided height differences of the front and rear ends thereof are present. Further, due to a dye bath body being of various different forms, the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 may be set at a height that is lower than the fabric and liquid exit opening 122.

A second embodiment is shown in FIG. 2. The second embodiment provides a dyeing machine having a structure generally identical to that of the first embodiment with differences therebetween concerning the directions in which the dyeing tube 12 and the nozzle 5 are arranged. Thus, certain description of the structure of the dyeing machine of the second embodiment will be omitted, due to similarity thereof with the first embodiment, and a detailed description will be only given to the dyeing tube 12 of the second embodiment. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 (or entrance section) of the dyeing tube 12 is set horizontally or slightly inclined to joint to the dyeing machine, and the dye liquid is jetted by the nozzle 5 to enter through the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121. The fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 of the dyeing tube 12 is set at a height that is higher than a height of a fabric and liquid exit opening 122 (or exit section) so that a first height difference d1 is present between the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121 and the dyeing tube 12. The height of the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 is set higher than a height of an interior top of the dyeing tube 12 so that a second height difference d2 is present between the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 and the interior top of the dyeing tube 12. Thus, based on the communicating vessel principle, an interior space of the dyeing tube 12 that is below the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 may hold and retain the dye liquid therein so that during the course of moving through the dyeing tube 12, the fabric 3 may stay and soak in the dye liquid inside the dyeing tube 12 for an extended period of time to allow for an extended period of time of interaction between the fabric and the dye liquid for better penetration that provides the fabric 3 with bettered and uniform result of dyeing. With different variation of the configuration of the dyeing bath body, the fabric and liquid exit opening 122 may be set higher than the fabric and liquid entrance opening 121.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the claims of the present invention. 

I claim:
 1. A conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine comprising a dyeing tube having a structure that allows for improving a dyeing result of fabric, wherein the dyeing tube is arranged and mounted rearward of or below a nozzle, the dyeing tube comprising a fabric and liquid entrance opening and a fabric and liquid exit opening, the dyeing tube having an intermediate section that is set lower than the fabric and liquid entrance opening and the fabric and liquid exit opening so that the dyeing tube is configured to include height differences that allows dye liquid to fill up an interior space of the dyeing tube and remain in the dyeing tube, wherein during a course of fabric moving through the dyeing tube, the fabric is allowed to stay and soak in the dye liquid within the dyeing tube to provide a sufficient period of time of interaction between the fabric and the dye liquid remaining in the dyeing tube and thus an extended period of time of penetration is realized to enhance the result of dyeing, wherein the dyeing tube has a configuration that provides the height differences at front and rear ends thereof. 